Reducing crime and disorder associated with unmet behavioral health needs and homelessness through coordinated, wraparound stabilization services in seattle/king county, WA - seattle-king county…

Reducing crime and disorder associated with unmet behavioral health needs and homelessness through coordinated, wraparound stabilization services in seattle/king county, WA - seattle-king county lead (law enforcement assisted diversion/let everyone advance with dignity) reduces crime and disorder associated with unmet behavioral health needs and homelessness by diverting people with unmet behavioral health needs away from arrest and into coordinated, community-based systems of response and care. Lead creates a mechanism by which law enforcement and other stakeholders in seattle-king county, WA, can divert individuals away from the criminal legal system and into intensive case management services to address needs related to mental health, substance use disorder, and extreme poverty. Seattle-king county lead is a structured, collaborative partnership of public agencies, nonprofit service providers, law enforcement and criminal legal entities, business associations, government officials, and other community stakeholders. Participants in seattle-king county lead are individuals 18 years and older who commit, or are at high risk of committing, law violations related to behavioral health challenges and/or income instability. They are people whose behavioral health issues (mental health challenges and/or substance use) have typically been met with arrest and prosecution; who have disproportionately high rates of complex trauma; who are commonly estranged from all systems of care; and who require field-based engagement and RE-imagination of access points. They are typically unhoused; disproportionately lack access to public benefits, healthcare, and social services; have high rates of contact with the criminal legal system and with emergency response systems; and have multiple compounding or CO-occurring challenges. In the one-year funded period, seattle-king county lead will provide case management for at least 800 participants; make at least 300 referrals to behavioral health resources; make at least 30 referrals to lead legal services; and conduct at least five community meetings related to homelessness and public safety to educate a minimum of 50 unduplicated community members about lead's purpose, activities, and access.